Page 47 of My Darling Mayhem

My brother lost interest in me and continued to watch his show after that, all while I kept thinking about what he’d said and how both boys were on to us.

Later that evening, I got a text from Wren, which had me sitting up in bed.

Wren:Hey…so my car is ready, so no need to pick us up tomorrow.

I didn’t even try to make it seem like I was busy.

Me: Did the mechanic deliver it to you or something?

Wren:Yeah, he offered to deliver it for free. Nice, huh?

No, it wasn’t nice. The fucker was flirting with her, but it was hard for me to ride that line of overbearing, jealous boyfriend when I wasn’t even her boyfriend yet.

Me: Yeah, what a deal.

Wren:Anyway, thank you for the rides this week.

Me: Anytime, beautiful.

I hated that fucking car. It wasn’t reliable in the slightest, and I had no doubt that this mechanic didn’t actually do shit to fix it. Even if he did, it wouldn’t last. Winter was coming, and I knewhow unreliable that car was. The idea of her stranded out on a slick highway while cars nearly slid into her suddenly crashed through my mind, making me feel like I was about to have a heart attack.

I had to fix this.

The worry over her safety caught me off guard again. A new sensation for me. The last woman I had worried over or had any concern about their safety or well-being was my mom. An ache unfurled in my chest like it always did when I thought of my mom and the way she died—car accident, cut brakes.

If my mom were alive, I’d tell her about Wren. I could almost see her smile as I explained this woman who had been firmly under my skin from the moment I met her. A familiar sadness invaded my chest as I remembered her death.

I knew it was my old man, but I couldn’t prove it. But he’d done the same shit with Kane’s mom. The memory of Brit meeting with me privately, telling me about how abusive my dad was and how fearful she was over Kane surfaced. She’d wanted me to take him, to keep him safe. I had promised to talk about it with her more the following day after she’d calmed down and had gotten sober.

She was high as a fuckin’ kite.

Kane was only three, but whatever my dad had done had freaked her out enough to come to me and seek out help. That weekend, she was in a car accident; the brakes were cut. Kane wasn’t with her, and I had a shit time finding him after that. Thankfully, Brit’s cousin had been watching him, but instead of calling me, she called the police to come and pick up an abandoned toddler.

My brother was in the system a few days later, mainly because my dad had gotten himself on the police department’s radar enough that he’d disappeared for a while, and they couldn’t locate him. I was hoping he’d stay gone.

Seemed like my luck had run out.

Bringing my phone back up, I shot a quick text to Buck, one of my club members who lived not very far from here.

Me: Need you to meet me tonight and bring your tools.

Buck: Got it, Prez. Send me the location, and I’ll be there. Is it a usual clean-out?

My stomach clenched. This could go badly, but it would mean Wren and Cruz would be safe.

Me:Yeah, gut it. Here’s the address.

I punched out my idea, hoping this didn’t bite me in the ass.

The truck was already started and warmed up for my neighbors to ride with me. I was sipping coffee, watching Wren’s door as she emerged in a long wool coat that went down to her calves, covering a fucking pencil skirt with cute little boots.

Cruz's hair was combed to the side, and he wore a thick coat that his backpack straps had difficulty fitting over.

I watched as she slid into her car and tried to turn the engine over, but nothing happened.

She got out, looking confused, and circled the car as if that would somehow explain it. Then she returned to her car and lifted the hood. Did she know what to look for?

I couldn’t hear her saying anything. I saw her head lift, look toward me, and let the hood slam. Cruz shut his door while the two began walking to my side of the drive.

---